I was reading the Birmingham News today waiting on the transit bus, and the sports section had an article on the off-field problems of Alabama. It was an editorial asking if college coaches were running teams or rehab units.The basic premise was that players do not have enough respect for those in authority because they come in feeling the school is fortunate to have them. The author wonders what can be done, after all, as Saban said, Alabama gives its players “peer intervention, sports psychologists, people who come in and talk about drugs and alcohol and how to treat members of the opposite sex”. Which brings up an interesting point: if all that won’t work, what will?

I just finished reading a book by Chette Williams titled Hard Fighting Soldier. Chette played football at Auburn in the 80s. Currently, Chette is the Auburn football team chaplain. The book talks about Chette’s childhood, his tumultuous first year at Auburn, and his life up until and through his experiences as the full-time team chaplain. The book details a lot of what goes on spiritually behind closed doors among the team. Of course, not everyone participates. But the team takes time for prayer at team dinners, weeknights, and before and after games. Of course, that doesn’t prevent players from getting into trouble. The thing that seems to help this team is the fact that Chette is someone they can talk to about problems. Physical problems, spiritual problems, mental problems, family problems. Anything.

It is not for me to sit here and tell you that God is the answer to everything. But it is very interesting to note that, as the Auburner put it, “When with LSU, Nick Saban hired NASA psychologists and professors from LSU’s Communications Department to meet with team members to help them better deal with problems in their personal lives. Tommy Tuberville uses a team chaplain to perform a similar job.”

The real point here is just something to consider. When a team like Auburn, with more success on the field in the last few years than Alabama, is also staying out of trouble, there is a factor that that no one can completely put a finger on. Yes, you can blame Nick Saban, and it is his fault to a degree. But I doubt he wants his players to get arrested and ruin their opportunities for life (and their opportunity to help Alabama win on the field). So what is he doing wrong? Maybe he needs to look up for some guidance. It seems to be working for Tommy Tuberville and Chette Williams.